Bipartisan Meatloaf

Posted February 14, 2017 by Jenny

Last week, when Susan Collins, Republican Senator of Maine, broke with her party to vote against Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, I know what you were all thinking: Yeah, it’s good to know where she stands on vouchers and charter schools, but what I really want to know is: Where does she stand on meatloaf?

I hear you! As any patriot worth her kosher salt knows, there is no single correct way to combine meat, egg, breadcrumbs, and spices to make America’s most iconic comfort food. Maybe you favor the beef-pork-veal trinity for your grind, maybe you’ve long since converted to turkey; maybe you fold in milk-soaked bread or refuse to acknowledge a loaf’s legitimacy without Italian breadcrumbs. Ask any collection of cooks what their secret ingredient is, and you’ll hear everything from sumac to Sriracha to ricotta to hoisin to cumin — each resulting in a recipe as special and unique as a snowflake.

Thankfully, we have A Meatloaf in Every Oven, written by veteran New York Times staffers Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauer to report on Collins’s protein position and more. Omg, so much more! Borne of a mutual passion for meatloaf — yes, I meant to write that — their hilariously reverent collection is a decade in the making and features over fifty recipes from chefs, grandmothers, food writers, and Capitol Hill personalities on both sides of the aisle. At the Times, Bruni is an op-ed columnist who was once restaurant reviewer, and Steinhauer covers Congress (see: this profile) when she’s not cooking for her young kids. (Remember her Food52 column?) It explains why you will find Mario Batali’s Stuffed Meatloaf and April Bloomfield’s Lamb Loaf with Yogurt and Mint only a few pages away from Senator Collins’s mustard and horseradish-spiked recipe handed down from her mother Pat.

Trust me, it works. Even if you consider it treason to deviate from your grandmother’s tried-and-true, Heinz-smothered, bacon-topped beauty and don’t plan on trying out any of the recipes — the book is just so much fun. I kept reading parts out loud to Andy when it first arrived.

“We both feel that when we cook meatloaf, we’re connected to something bigger,” they write in the introduction. “A tradition, a time line. Meatloaf is elemental. It’s enduring. And if comfort foods are those that are not only an answer to hunger, but also an existential balm, served without undue fuss or expensive implements, then meatloaf rules the category. It reigns supreme. It’s the fluffy caftan of comfort foods.”

They were nice enough to offer not only the official statement on the senator’s Bipartisan Meatloaf — below — but a giveaway: A free copy of their book to two random commenters below. Contest ends Thursday, February 16 at noon ET. Good luck!

Susan Collins’s Bipartisan Meatloaf
Excerpted with Permission from A Meatloaf in Every Oven, by Frank Bruni & Jennifer Steinhauer
Serves 6Senator Susan Collins of Maine may be best known for her willingness to cooperate with colleagues across the aisle and for her expertise on appropriations, but her non-political passion is all things food. She runs a weekly lunch group with her fellow Republicans, in which each member shows off his or her home-state specialty. She spends every weekend in front of the stove or oven, cooking up treats for her husband. Among his favorites is the meatloaf created by her mother, Pat. It has a few special twists: pungent dry mustard, horseradish and a topping of barbecue sauce rather than ketchup. “I grew up in a large family with five brothers and sisters,” the senator told us. “The six of us all had very different food preferences, but on one thing we were unanimous: We all loved my mother’s meatloaf.”

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet or a large baking pan with parchment paper. (This loaf can also be made in a lightly oiled loaf pan, to keep it strictly Pat Collins correct.)

2. Warm the olive oil in a small skillet over low heat, add the onions and sauté until they are soft and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly with a fork. Mix in the beef and then the bread crumbs, (slightly cooled) onions and bell peppers. Add the horseradish, dry mustard, milk and 1⁄4 cup of the barbecue sauce and lightly combine with your clean hands until just mixed. Shape the mixture into a loaf on the baking sheet or pack it gently into a loaf pan.

4. Place the bacon slice lengthwise on top, and then spread the remaining 1⁄2 cup barbecue sauce over the loaf.

In college, I made a habit of requesting meatloaf as my #1 meal whenever I visited home. It was also always my answer whenever I went to friends houses for the weekend and their moms would ask what I wanted to eat. To this day, it’s what I request whenever we visit my in-laws. Every mom has a different recipe, but somehow they all always taste like home.

My mother’s meatloaf, which I still make (and tweak), uses dry rolled oats instead of breadcrumbs. Quick oats integrate better, but plain rolled oats add a rustic texture. It’s great and easy–and if the oats are gluten free, then it’s gluten free, too. This book looks a blast.

We had meatloaf last night, with baked potatoes, salad, and a decidedly–oldschool cauliflower dish: left whole, parboiled, “iced” with mayo and yellow mustard, shredded cheddar sprinkled on top, then baked. I love oven meals in the winter! Thank you for the giveaway!

I just saw the piece on CBSN yesterday about this cookbook and immediately went to Amazon and put it on my wishlist. I can’t wait to get my hands on it and I have a feeling it’s going to be my go-to gift for the foreseeable future!

When I read the opening paragraph of this post my first thought was “hey I live in Maine!” And then I was wondering where you were going with Susan Collins and meatloaf, but as I continued to read, it all made sense! I always use dry mustard in my meatloaf as well, a tradition passed down from my great grandmother. Must be a Maine thing?!

Inspiring! I love the writing that both Steinhauer and Bruni do (and I miss the Food52 column a lot) and reading this post makes me realize I have never cooked meatloaf for my 10 year old, despite loving my mother’s version as a child….Fingers crossed!

(P.S. Just discovered your books and blog two weeks ago. With very spirited two-year-old twins, a husband and a full-time job, making dinner was a chore, not a joy, for the past few years. Thanks for inspiring me to ENJOY cooking again!)

Yes! A little mayo, some cold meatloaf sliced thin, maybe some hot and sweet peppers, and white bread! haha……a restaurant near where I work makes a sick cold meatloaf hoagie. I limit it to once a year.

Meatloaf has been my favorite since I can remember. During my vegetarian phase in high school I begged my mom to make me a “vegetarian” meatloaf for my birthday dinner. Let’s just say that only happened once and I now bounce from one MEATloaf recipe to the next and I don’t shy away from the occasional Trader Joe meatloaf either.

I haven’t expanded my cookbook collection in quite some time, but this would be just the book to change that trend!! Thank you for the giveaway and the breath of fresh humorous air, greatly needed in these times….

That picture made my mouth start to water.
My husband always claimed to despise meatloaf, until I actually made it for him – I don’t know what he actually thought meatloaf was (he grew up in England), but it was not this.

As a kid, meatloaf was a dreaded meal. Funny how something one dislikes in youth can shapeshift into a classic (kind of like a song you couldn’t stand when it was released but decades later turn the radio up when it comes on)

This book sounds amazing. Such a simple idea, yet oh so genius! Most people love meatloaf and every cook has a go-to passed down recipe that they swear by. But I love the idea of changing things up and trying something different. We have meatloaf probably once a month since it’s a meal everyone in my family loves. I’ve always considered it a cold weather food. This book may change my view!

I recently had a baby and someone brought us meatloaf. I love as reminder what a simple and enjoyable meal it is to make – was looking for a recipe to make mine, it sounds like this book would be a great start!

My husband loves meatloaf, one of his all time favorite meals. But he has to buy it at the deli. I can’t make a decent meatloaf to save my soul (or anything else for that matter) Still, I love your blog and I bought your book so there must be a part of me that wants to cook!